Animals that see humans as food and actively prey on them include:
- Large carnivores such as lions, tigers, leopards, and polar bears. These animals have documented cases of hunting and killing humans as a food source, not just in opportunistic or defensive situations.
- Large crocodilians like Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles are responsible for more human attacks and deaths than any other wild predators.
- Bears, including polar bears and brown bears, may hunt humans, especially when they are undernourished, diseased, or when natural prey is scarce.
- Hyenas, especially spotted hyenas, can attack humans when food is scarce.
- Wild pigs have been documented to kill and eat humans in some cases.
- Some large primates, specifically chimpanzees, have been known to kill humans on occasion.
- Wolves can prey on humans, although attacks are rare and often result in eradication efforts against local wolf populations.
Most of these predators do not hunt humans regularly but may include humans in their diet due to hunger, old age, sickness, or habitat overlap. Some animals like cougars generally do not recognize humans as prey but may attack in defense or when habituated to humans. Thus, animals that see humans as food include big cats (lions, tigers, leopards), bears (polar and brown bears), large crocodiles, hyenas, wild pigs, some primates, and wolves. These cases are often tied to specific circumstances such as scarcity of natural prey or opportunistic behavior rather than routine predation on humans. This summary covers the main types of animals documented to see humans as food and actively prey on them in the wild. Let me know if you want more detailed information about any specific animal group.